


The Beige Flag

by DarthTella



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Ten/Rose - Freeform, doctor who - Freeform, written for a tumblr prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 14:18:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15632397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthTella/pseuds/DarthTella
Summary: They just wanted a fun night out.  What they got was a revolution over the colour of a flag.





	The Beige Flag

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a dialogue prompt on Tumblr: "It's cold, you should take my jacket."
> 
> I altered the line slightly to fit how I feel the characters talk.

“‘200 years of peace’ you said.”  Rose sighed, her voice sounding slightly aggravated, neither breaking her stride or looking at the Doctor.

“I know…”  The Doctor tugged on his ear as he lagged just slightly behind her.

“‘This planet will never see violence again!’ you said.”  The Doctor opened his mouth to protest again, but now Rose was laughing.  She turned to him, her eyes full of mirth. Her dress was ripped and stained, her once pristine hair was messed up beyond belief, makeup smudged and who knows what happened to her shoes...

It was supposed to be a fun night.  After their frightening experience on the sanctuary base, the Doctor just wanted to have a relaxing night out.  Rose wanted to go dancing and he surmised that she would just love to go to a royal ball on the very peaceful world of Yawtiqua Prime. The locals looked human enough and the psychic paper easily got them in.

But hardly an hour in, the palace was attacked by a rebel faction who was keen on assassinating the Empress.  Of course the Doctor and Rose pitched in to stop the revolution, soon discovering that the reason the rebels were so disgruntled was because they didn’t like the colour the flag was changed to when the Empress rose to the throne.  The Doctor had gone on to explain to Rose that this was a tradition that went on through the centuries. The colour of the flag almost always changed to reflect the favourite colour of the current ruler.

This time the Empress just happened to love beige.

During a lull in the fighting, The Doctor then stood up on what was probably the only table left in tact and  - ignoring the guns that were suddenly pointed at him - pulled out the psychic paper and held it up high. He asked all the rebels in turn what colour they saw on the paper.  To their astonishment, each soldier gave a different answer. And those answers corresponded to their favourite colours!

Even the Empress was impressed and she decreed that all flags in her kingdom would be made from the same slightly-psychic material from now on.  This appeased the rebels and they agreed to stop their revolution.

The Empress offered to hold a celebration in honor of the Doctor and Rose’s help.  They both looked at each other, shook their heads and decided it was probably best to head back to the TARDIS.  

“Well, I suppose that’s what I get for expecting a quiet night out with you.”  Rose chuckled. “And you call me the jeopardy friendly trouble magnet.” The Doctor just shook his head fondly at her as they walked out the front gates and into the open air.  It was far colder outside than it was inside the palace, and Rose almost immediately hugged herself in an effort to stave off the cold.

“Who says you aren’t!  I swear you get into more trouble than all my former companions combined…”  As the Doctor spoke, he began to unbutton his jacket. (The middle button actually came off in his hand as his clothes didn’t exactly survive in pristine condition either.)   “And it’s cold out here… you should take this.” Rose was just about to turn around to see what he was offering her, but before she could he felt his hands on her shoulders and smiled as he draped his jacket around her.  She tugged it as tightly around her as she could, and chuckled as she realised she couldn’t get it fully closed.

_Blimey, is he really this skinny?_

“Why thank you, Sir Doctor.”  She said aloud, affecting a posh accent.  He grinned back and winked.

“Dame Rose.”

He resumed walking beside her.  Rose couldn’t help but sneak glances at him.  It was rare to see him this dressed down. He almost always had his jacket on around her.

He was also hunched with his hands buried deep in his pockets and she could tell he was doing his best not to shiver.  She sidled up next to him so their arms were almost touching. Taking the hint, the Doctor wrapped his arm around her and tugged her close so they could share their body heat as they walked.

They continued in companionable silence for a few moments.

“Beige, though?”  Rose wrinkled her nose.  She could feel the Doctor shake with laughter beside her.

“I know!  What a hideous colour!”  He chortled. Within earshot of a guard.

They made a mad dash back towards the TARDIS laughing the entire way.


End file.
